Sunday, April 17, 2016

April is the Kindest Month

Courtesy: Facebook -- April is the Kindest Month

Yes, I am jumping on a bandwagon. No, it's not something I normally do. However, Ellen Martin's "April is the Kindest Month" is a great promotion and deserves all the attention it can get. Really, couldn't we all use a little more kindness in the world? Ellen Martin has a goal of 20,400 acts of kindness in the month of April. That would be one act for each resident of the City of Lockport. So far schools and businesses have kicked in to help, and I'm sure you've seen the signs around town.
I applaud this effort, because as I've already stated, couldn't we all use a little more kindness in our lives? As a whole it seems that our entire society seems bent on ridiculing and belittling anyone who has a different opinion. Armed with a keyboard and virtual anonymity on social media, collectively we have lost all sense of decorum and neighborliness. Martin's "April is the Kindest Month" is a step in the process to rid ourselves of this rudeness.

Honestly, we should all just be a little bit friendlier to each other. All the time. In my own life, I have a neighbor with whom I don't exactly see eye to eye. We're both kind of pain in the butts, especially to each other. Still, whenever we have enough snow to warrant shoveling, I shovel his sidewalk -- both the one in front of his house and the one that goes up to his front porch steps. He's never asked me. I just do it. It seems like the right thing to do.

We have just under two weeks left to April. Let's take that time to do something kind for someone else. Even if it's simply saying a kind word to a complete stranger, or to an old friend who we unconsciously take for granted. And kindness doesn't need to stop with May 1st. We should become more in the practice of being kind everyday to everyone. Ellen Martin is leading the charge. It is in our best interests to follow.

So, if I see you out on the streets, I'll be sure to say hello with a smile. Here's to many smiles and hellos in return. Because, Lockport is the kindest city.

Craig Bacon once said hello to everyone he passed in the grocery store. He still greets people who pass him on the street.